2018 Living Wage report released

Whitehorse - The Yukon Anti Poverty Coalition is pleased to release “Living Wage in Whitehorse, Yukon: 2018”. The Coalition has committed to calculating the living wage each year to maintain a current and accurate measurement of the cost of living in Whitehorse. Calculating the living wage on an annual basis allows us to measure the impact of policy changes on the ability of low- and modest-income families to meet their basic needs.

According to Living Wage Canada, the living wage equals the hourly rate of pay that a family requires to meet basic needs such as adequate housing and nutritious food after accounting for government transfers (e.g. Canada Child Benefit) and deductions from income (e.g. income taxes and EI premiums).

The living wage for Whitehorse is $18.57 per hour in 2018, an increase of $0.31 per hour compared to last year when the living wage equalled $18.26 per hour. The increase in the living wage was primarily the result of substantial increases in the cost of living, particularly shelter and child care, as well as methodological changes to better align the calculation methodology with that used for other communities.

“We hope the 3rdannual report will push us as a community to address the high cost of living in Whitehorse,” says YAPC co-chair Charlotte Hrenchuk. “We see that governments have tangible tools to reduce the gap between the living wage and the minimum wage such as raising the minimum wage, creating low income transit passes and developing more rent geared to income housing."